MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) Stock Holdings Decreased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 16.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,320,762 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 822,186 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.12% of MDU Resources Group worth $77,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of MDU Resources Group by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 2.0% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 32,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the period. Ingalls & Snyder LLC increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 39,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 164.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 99.6% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. 71.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis W. Johnson bought 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 180,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

MDU Resources Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MDU opened at $17.07 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.62. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.74 and a fifty-two week high of $20.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 10.20%. Equities analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MDU has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Company Profile

MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations.